Chloe Maheu and Parker Johnson are middle school students in Hopkinton.

I am Chloe Maheu, a middle school student in Hopkinton. My school is doing a project where we email certain newspapers and tell them a convincing argument on a current problem in our world.

I would like to tell you about people living in poverty. Even though people in New Hampshire don’t struggle with poverty extremely, it’s still an issue. Overall, in the United States, poverty is a significant problem. Poverty has an overwhelming impact on the future of this country and the communities that live in it.

As poverty rates in the United States grow, our country’s economic growth slows down. As more people are going below the poverty line and prices are growing, the demand for items is decreasing. This leads to businesses not making enough money, and our country’s economy is stuck at a stalemate.

This current poverty problem has an impact on our future generations. The kids of this country have the country’s future path in their hands, and when kids grow up in poverty, they might not have the right education to make future decisions.

How can you help? There are many ways to help this cause. One way is to donate directly to a nonprofit that works to address poverty. Other ways include volunteering, starting a fundraiser and making your opinions public. Go on social media and post about this cause to let people know.

— Chloe Maheu

I am Parker Johnson, a middle schooler in Hopkinton. I play lacrosse and think that everyone should have access to youth sports. There are many benefits for children playing sports, including mental and physical health, teamwork and social skills.

Many children who would like to play sports cannot. In Concord as well as many other places, it is too expensive for many people to play youth sports. One of the major expenses is equipment such as baseball gloves or bats, lacrosse sticks, pads and more.

Many people have new and used gear sitting around that they do not use. This equipment can be used by families that cannot afford it. People who do have used or even new sports equipment that they do not use should donate it to organizations that will give it to youth sports leagues and teams like Concord Parks and Recreation or directly to families who need it. They can also donate sports equipment directly to youth sports organizations that distribute it to players who need it.

Another major cost of playing youth sports is the registration fees to join a team.

Youth sports are very important, and everyone should be able to play. Donating used and new equipment can help many families in need be able to play youth sports.

— Parker Johnson